Barbara Bennett thought she had done everything right.

A career woman with an MBA, Bennett spent decades working in a variety of high-level financial positions at financial and technology companies and regularly contributed to a 401(k) and brokerage account.

But after leaving the workforce 10 years ago to take care of her sick husband, Bennett is struggling to find gainful employment. When he passed away six years ago, she was left with medical bills and limited financial resources to pay her mortgage and other expenses.

After liquidating her retirement savings, she is now living on around $1,500 a month in Social Security benefits and plans to sell her home this fall.

"He would have done it for me," she said. "All I'm doing now is trying to be creative enough to get out of a future that's not very bright."

Bennett continues to network and answer job ads, hopeful that someone will hire her again. She is also trying to rally support among lawmakers to create a tax credit for employers who hire older workers.